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Big miss mars Sergiño Dest’s performance in Barcelona loss to Real Madrid

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Registering an assist against Real Madrid in El Clasico would normally be enough to consider the day a success, but Sergino Dest isn’t likely to see his performance on Sunday that way.

The U.S. men’s national team fullback set up a Sergio Aguero consolation goal in the final minute of Sunday’s La Liga showcase clash, but it was the wide-open chance Dest missed in the first half that served as the dominant storyline surrounding the American standout.

Real Madrid held on for a 2-1 victory, but the score was 0-0 when Dest popped up in front of goal with a chance to score the game’s first goal. His clear look from 12 yards out sailed way over the crossbar, leaving Dest with his head in his hands.

Just seven minutes later it was David Alaba with the opening goal, giving Real Madrid the lead with a beautiful finish.

Dest made his third consecutive start as a right winger for Barcelona, but his missed chance was one of the few he and the Barca attack created. Dest, who shifted to his natural right back role in the second half, finished the day with two shots and one key pass, which came on his cross to Aguero for Barcelona’s late consolation goal.

Dest’s assist was his third in four La Liga matches, but it isn’t one he’ll spend much time celebrating after Barcelona suffered yet another El Clasico defeat.

Barcelona sits in ninth place in the La Liga standings, and will be back in action on Wednesday against a surprising Rayo Vallecano side that is currently in seventh place.

 

 

Comments

  1. Probably an unpopular opinion, but that chance was NOT a sitter. Indeed xG on that chance is showing up as 0.34

    This made me think…. I would imagine that xG on Wondo’s chance against Belgium was about the same if not lower.

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  2. It is worth adding what I don’t see here. Overall, Dest played a very good game. He blew a great chance but he was on of the best Barca players; the assist at the end was excellent.

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  3. Dest had been playing with a chip on his shoulder these past games. Taking players on and moving forward. Today that was not the case. I don’t know if he was tired or if Real Madrid intimidate him but he was not his usual self all game. We’ll see how he does the next game.

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  4. I guess we can’t count on Dest as our first choice striker. I’ve seen worse. Once in an international game DeMarcus Beasley missed a sitter from about 3 yards. It looked harder to miss than make it. We were playing some small country so it didn’t matter since we won by about 5 goals anyway.

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    • Two points: (1) I wouldn’t be so quick to remove him from our striker conversation. (2) A “sitter” is just British English, it is not the proper term in American English at all. Stateside don’t call them “sitters”, we call them “Wondolowski’s”. As in, “man he really Wondolowski’d that open chance”… or, “oof, that he Wondo’d that one.”

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    • I believe the official term for Wondo’s was “missed from Ale Moreno’s range”. I think in the minds of most Wondo’s miss gets easier and easier with every passing year, it was close range but wasn’t an easy shot with Courtois coming out. I’m not sure he scores if he puts it on frame because one of the best keepers in 2014 is right there and probably deflects it with his body.

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      • The more I watch that Belgium replay the harder that chance looks.

        Courtois was right up in Wondo’s shorts when he took the shot.

        I don’t fault him because it was the very essence of a bang bang play.

        But if Wondo had, had more “vision”, the best way for a goal coming out of that would have been if Wondo could have found some way to kill that ball and slide it to Clint, who was wide open and standing right next to him.

        Regardless that was a much more competitive game than people remember. Certainly more competitive than Manchester United vs. Liverpool.

    • Haven’t watched the full replay in awhile, but shouldn’t it have been ManU vs Liverpool if not for Tim Howard? If Tim isn’t a brick wall and lets 1 or 2 in in the first half that would have gotten ugly quick. I think the idea Wondo could have passed it, is “slow mo replay think” at full speed to have had that idea and made it come off doesn’t seem likely, add in I’m not sure and Wondo couldn’t be certain Clint is even on side (but I’m watching it in my phone so maybe it was more clear).

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  5. Didn’t watch the match, but on the replay it looks like the ball takes a bounce right before he strikes it. Not saying a player of Dest’s quality shouldn’t strike over the ball and bury it anyway because he should. But not sure it was quite as easy as it looked.

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  6. After watching Dest blow that chance, I’d say that even my eight year old could make that, but to be fair, he also skied it over the bar on an eerily similar play. Hopefully they both learn not to open up and lean back on those shots

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